Water-wheel.



c. c. wAIs WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION I'ILBD SEPT. 11, 1908.

Patented oet. 19,1909.

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Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

(Y.k C. WAIS.

WATER @HEEL A APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1908.

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CHARLES CHRISTIAN WAIS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

Application led September 11, 1908. Serial N o. 452,533.

To ad whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES CHRISTIAN Wals, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residmg at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Wheels, of which the following is a speeication.

My invention relates to improvement in means for supporting andsuspending waterpower wheels.

The object of my invention is to provide means adapted to be projectedacross a moving body of water carrying one or more heads, each headbeing adapted to adjustably support a water-wheel.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for adjustablysupporting one or more water-wheels upon a horizontal support, saidhorizontal support being mounted upon a turret whereby the water-wheelsmay be drawn upward out of the stream of water or moved to properlyposition the wheels relative to the current or bodily swing the samefrom the stream.

Other features of my invention are more fully set forth in thedescription of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating twowater-wheel heads mounted upon a horizontal support and carried by theturret. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on linef1), e, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa side elevation of the water-wheel. Fig. 5 isa section on line w, Fig. 4. Fig.v 6 is an enlarged detail plan view ofone of the water-wheel heads. Fig. 7 is a vertical section, illustratingthe means for locking the turret in position. Fig. 8 is a detailperspective view of the lock-plate illustrated in section, Fig. 6, forlocking the turret to its base plate. Fig. 9 is an end elevation ofwater-wheel head in position and mounted upon its supporting arm.

My invention is principally adapted for utilizing the power of streamshaving a fast current, and whichstreams may or may not be navigable, andwhen not navigable the water-wheels and their heads need not be mountedupon a turret. The horizontal supporting arm or arms may be stationarilymounted spanning or partially spanning the stream accordingto the numberof waterwheels employed. By employing a series of water-wheels same canbe made small in size, easily controlled and mounted, and considerablehorse-power obtained therefrom, governed, of course, by the velocity ofthe stream. The water-wheels are easily withdrawn from the water forrepairs and the like, or increasing or decreasing the horsepower, bymoving the water-wheels into and out of commission. Again, by mountingthe water-wheels upon a turret they can be swung into a position out ofdanger of destruction, during the winter season, by ice and floods, or,in navigable rivers permit the passage of boats or vessels.

The water-wheels are preferably made with a series of blades,scoop-shaped, and of a given area for a given velocity of a givenstream, so as to maintain as near as possible a fixed horse-power whilethe Wheel is in commission. They are also arranged so that thishorse-power will not vary if inserted too deeply or by a rise of water,in which instance, the water passes over the blades, the wheel bodybeing formed, more or less, of skeleton form, relying principally forincrease or decrease of horse-power by the number of wheels incommission.

l represents a base or supporting` structure made in any well-knownmanner of concrete. steel, or the like, upon which the pedestal orcolumn 2 is secured, said pedestal being rigidly anchored by means ofguy wires 3, or any other known means, for rigidly supporting orsecuring the same upon the base l.

et represents a sleeve loosely mounted upon the pedestal, said sleevecarrying a horizontally projected arm; the arm, as illustrated,comprising two arm sections 5, 6, said sections being suitably bracedtogether-to form a rigid Water-wheel support, and is also preferablyanchored at the top thereof to the pedestal l by a swinging connection7, to maintain the alinement of the arm and to support the weight ofwater-Wheels and heads. The lower arm section G is provided with a footplate 8 secured thereto, carrying rollers 9, bearing and adapted totravel upon the surface l0 of the quadrant 11, said quadrant beingpreferably rigidly secured or forming a part of the base 1 with its edgeprovided with rack-teeth 13, adapted to be intermeshed with a rack-gear14, liXed to the shaft 15, journaled to the arm section 6, and rotatedby means of a rhand wheel 16, whereby the horizontal arm and itscontained water-wheels may be swung around the pedestal, the pedestalserving as an aXis therefor. The bearing surface of the quadrant isprovided with Teslots to receive the bolt heads of the clamping bolts 17for clamping the foot-plate 8 rigidly to the quadrant 11.

18 represents a supporting block adapted to lie and be clamped betweenthe foot-plate S and quadrant, one at each end of the footplate fortaking the clamping strains off of the rollers and effecting a morerigid lock of the horizontal arm. These intermediate plates arepreferably constructed with the projecting lugs 19, so as to straddlethe bolts and prevent lateral displacement of the plates.

20 represents a head-plate or saddle secured to the horizontal arm, saidhead-plate is provided with the ways 21, 22, within which ways thewaterwheel supporting head 23 is adjustably mounted and held within saidways by means of the plates 24.

The head is adjusted vertically as follows 25, 26, represent racks fixedto the rear of the head 23. 27, 28, represent rack gears Xed to theshaft 29, j ournaled in bearings formed in the head-plate 20. 30represents a gear fixed to the shaft 29 in mesh with avpinion 31, fixedto the shaft 32, journaled in the head-plate 20, its opposite endcarrying a hand lever 33. By turning this hand lever motion will beimparted to shaft 32, and gears 3l, and 30, shaft 29, and rack gears 27,28, moving the water-wheel head up or down as the case may be.

The water-wheel is preferably constructed as follows z--35 representsthe hub of the wheel provided with the projecting arms 36, carrying therings 37. 3S represents concave faced blades between the inner walls ofthe rings and together they form abutments adapted to be acted upon bythe water currents, having a tendency to maintain the water against theblade and prevent the same from being deflected outwardly reducing thevelocity of the wheel and thereby its horse-power. rIhe hub 35 is fixedto a shaft 39, journaled in bearings projecting from and formed integralwith the supporting head 23, (see Fig. 2). 40 represents a sprocket gearfixed to the shaft 39, carrying a sprocket chain 41, driving a sprocketwheel 42, loosely supported upon the driven shaft 43, said driven shaftbeing supported and journaled in bearings fixed to the horizontal armsand forming the main transmitting shaft from which the power isutilized. 44 represents clutch mechanisms for clutching the sprocketwheel 42 to the shaft for throwing in and out the power developed by itsrespective water-wheels governed thereby. 45 represents a chaintightener. 46 represents a platform supported by the horizontal arm,forming convenient means for getting access to the various wheelssuspended on the arm. It is obvious that the arm may be constructed invarious ways for forming a rigid support, likewise the various otherdetails illustrated, and I do not wish to be limited to the constructionillustrated unless where specific mention is made of it in the claims.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. Means for utilizing the poweroccasioned by the velocity of a stream of water, comprising a horizontalarm, means forhorizontally adjusting said arm relative to the stream,means for rigidly locking the same in position, one or more water-wheelsadjustably mounted upon said arm, and means for adjusting saidwater-wheel vertically relative to the stream of water, substantially asdescribed.

2. A water-power apparatus, comprisinf a horizontal arm adapted to besupported over a stream of water, means for pivotally supporting saidarm, means for adjusting said arm horizontally relative to the stream,one or more water-wheels adjustably mounted upon said arm, means forvertically adjusting said water-wheels, and means for locking said armrigidly in position, substantially as described.

3. In a water power apparatus, a horizontal arm, means for horizontallyadjusting said arm relative to the stream, means for rigidly locking thesame in position, one or more water-wheel head plates rigidly secured tosaid arm, a water-Wheel head slidably mounted in ways formed on saidheadplates, means for vertically adjusting said water-wheel supportinghead, a water-wheel journaled in said supporting head, transmissiondevices in connection with said waterwheel for conveying power to apoint of utilization, substantially as described.

4. In a water power apparatus, a horizon` tal arm supported over astream of water, means for rigidly locking said arm in Josition, one ormore water wheel head p ates secured to said arm, a water wheel headadjustably mounted on ways formed on said head plates, means forindependently vertically adjusting each head, a water wheel journaled oneach head, and governable transmission devices in connection with eachhead, substantially as described.

5. In a water-power apparatus, a base, a column rigidly secured to saidbase, a horizontal arm pivotally supported upon said column, a quadrantxed to said base upon which said arm travels in its pivotal movement,said quadrant provided With rack Jteeth in the are of arm-swing, andmeans carried by said arm engaging the rack-teeth for Swingin' said arm,for adjusting the i same latera y relative to the flow of Water,

means for locking said arm rigidly in adjusted position, one or moreWater-Wheels adjustably mounted upon said arm, and

means for vertically adjusting said Water- Wheels, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES CHRISTIAN WAIS. Witnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER, ARTHUR FALHABER.

